Hanako stood in the middle of the ballroom, flanked by her father and new stepmother. A line of eligible men were waiting outside, in the hallway, eager to be formally presented to the young princess. It was her stepmother's idea. Hanako cringed inwardly as the redheaded woman placed her hand familiarly on her arm. Her stepmother was tall and thin, the kind of thin where her body was all angles. She had a sharp chin and deadly elbows that she often used to keep Hanako in line when her husband wasn't around. Her eyes were as cold as grey ice and her smile was calculating and frightening. At the moment, she was giving Hanako that smile that warned her to be on her best behavior or she would pay later.

Hanako nodded, a small movement of her head. Her father was paying no attention to his wife or his daughter, but watching the maids setting up a buffet table. She knew his eyes were already on the glasses of wine being poured and arranged on the creamy white linen tablecloth. Hanako closed her eyes and imagined herself anywhere but here. Almost unbidden, the scent of the forest at night returned to her.

It had been two weeks since her dramatic rescue from the hands of those lecherous villains in the forest. Two long weeks since she had last seen her mysterious hero. But that didn't stop her mind from fleshing him out in her dreams. She recalled perfectly every detail of him, from his dashing cloak to his mysterious sword that could differentiate between truth and lies. Sometimes she would catch a scent that would remind her of the musky, warm scent of his cloak. She often caught herself looking for his features in other men's faces. A man with dark, tumbling locks would catch her eye, but when he turned, his form or features would be too different. Or she would stare into blue eyes, wondering if they could possibly be his eyes.

"Hanako! Stop daydreaming!" Queen Akemi snapped. Hanako blinked, startled, and noticed her father was no longer beside them. Akemi sneered down at the girl and pulled unkindly on one of her blond curls. "I don't want any complaints like last time. I'm watching you." Hanako murmured her assent as she looked around to find her father. She was only dimly surprised that he was already at the table, pouring his second glass of wine down his throat. Akemi stared hard at her stepdaughter's worried face.

If only those thieves in the forest had done their jobs, she moaned to herself. As long as her doddering husband had his precious Hanako, he had no interest in her plans to expand the kingdom. Akemi had married up and her snotty servants and stepdaughter made every effort to remind her of that. It had taken a great deal of study and time for Akemi to work her magic on Nobuo and still she knew she did not have his trust or his respect. Her magic had also failed to destroy his doting love for his precious Hanako. A darkness seemed to pass over her face as she contemplated the embarrassment she continued to suffer as time passed and she produced no heirs. If she couldn't rid herself permanently of her stepdaughter, perhaps she could marry her off to someone who would take care of the brat for her.

Hanako approached her father carefully, worried that he would be drunk and carried off before the festivities even got started. "Father?"

"Ah, my darling daughter," King Nobuo gestured widely with his free hand, a goofy smile on his face. He was a large man, with a bushy beard and gentle eyes. When he got drunk, he tended to get silly and then sleepy. He was a soft king who tended to let his advisers run most of the show and failed to notice how much power his wife was beginning to gain through them.

"Father. Please be careful with the wine tonight," Hanako chided gently, pulling the glass from his hand and passing it off to a servant. He watched it go reluctantly, like a small child who had just lost a treasured treat. Hanako moved her head to catch his eyes. "Please?"

King Nobuo sighed softly, "Yes, daughter." Increased volume from the hallway cut off their conversation as the doors were opened and the ladies of the court were allowed to enter. They were followed by older men who were married or deemed unsuitable for courting Princess Hanako. Queen Akemi motioned towards her husband and stepdaughter. Slipping her arm through her father's, Hanako allowed herself to be led to the far end of the ballroom, where she was to greet her suitors as they were announced. Queen Akemi and King Nobuo would choose dance partners for her from among them. Hanako squared her shoulders and prepared to be humiliated and bored.


Usagi looked up from her paper and tapped her chin with her pencil, "Ami-chan, do you think this part sounds too Cinderella-like?"

Ami looked up from her studies to give it the once over, "It does seem inspired a bit by Cinderella, but I don't think Fujita-sensei will be upset. After all, you are borrowing from a familiar story but putting your own twist on it. Many fiction authors do that."

Usagi made a small sound in the back of her throat, then looked around. "Odango, what is your problem?" Rei snapped. This was the fifth time this hour that Usagi had completely scoped out the area surrounding them. They were eating a light snack at a sidewalk café. Foot traffic around them was heavy, but not that distracting.

Usagi shook her head, "I don't know, Rei-chan. I just feel . . . like someone's watching me."

Rei stood up and glared around slowly, seeking out any sign of an enemy or pervert. Ami gave Usagi a worried glance. She hadn't mentioned it, but ever since Usagi had lost her manuscript, she had seemed paranoid. Usagi looked over her shoulder very often, as if expecting to see someone standing behind her. After a few moments, Rei sat down. "There's no one staring at us, Usa-chan. Stop worrying."

Usagi nodded, then returned to typing on Rei's laptop and sipping her soda. Ami and Rei exchanged worried glances.

Mamoru breathed a sigh of relief when the girls returned to eating and studying. Rei had almost caught him staring at them from across the street. He'd been lounging at the bus stop for almost an hour now. Three buses had unloaded and filled back up without him moving and a few of the passengers gave him odd looks. This was the only bus that came to this stop. He simply ignored them until they went away, his attention riveted on the petite blonde across the street. Since his dramatic discovery of her alter-ego on the first day, he had failed to uncover any further information. But even after three wasted days of surveillance, he still felt that he had to keep following her. Somehow, in calling a truce, Usagi had suddenly become important to him. He wanted to know why.


Hanako was beyond bored. Her father had left over an hour ago, sent away by her stepmother when he became too tipsy to take his position seriously. Now it was Akemi alone making the decisions of which "nice young man" could dance with Hanako. Hanako had even stopped looking at the faces of the ones Akemi rejected. She just smiled in their general direction as they bowed and passed by. One man, however, was bolder than the other rejected suitors.

A tall man with deep blue eyes and dark black hair studied the princess as he awaited his turn. She hadn't noticed him yet, but that didn't bother him. A part of him was certain the queen would send him away, judging from the men she was allowing to dance with Hanako. They were all sons of dangerously powerful and wealthy noblemen. He wondered what the queen's ploy was. It was well known in the court that Queen Akemi held her stepdaughter in contempt. As he watched Hanako dancing with the men her stepmother had selected, he could see she had no interest in them. A slightly wicked smile graced his lips when he acknowledged Queen Akemi's interested gaze rest on him.

"Lord Takeshi." a portly manservant intoned impressively. Takeshi approached the princess. Queen Akemi's eyes roamed over him, but he ignored her. He bent low before Hanako, catching her hand in a bold and sudden move and pressing his lips to the back of her hand. "It is an honor, Princess," he murmured, his voice low and smoky, intended only for her ears. Hanako's eyes flashed to his face as he straightened, a blush staining her cheeks. His voice sent tremors through her, sounding at once so familiar and yet so unsettling.

She stared at his unsmiling face. His features were handsome, in a stern, rugged way. His eyes seemed to dance with a suppressed emotion. He gazed back at her, causing her heart to thump erratically in her chest. He still held her hand, the warmth of his skin slipping through both their gloves to cause her skin to tingle. He didn't ask. Her stepmother didn't suggest. Hanako didn't assent. She just found herself being led out into the center of the ballroom as the music began.

Akemi glowered from her post as the couple danced. Hanako looked like she was lost in another world. The handsome man never smiled, never looked away from Hanako's face, and never spoke. He danced elegantly and Hanako followed his lead perfectly. They glided effortlessly past other couples as the music dictated their movements. His hand on her waist felt safe and dangerous at the same time. She tried to think of something to say, but her mind felt hazy. She just felt certain that she didn't want the dance to ever end.

As the music slowed, he spun her about, pulling her in close for only a moment. She inhaled, startled, and a familiar scent teased her nostrils. Her eyes flashed in faint recognition, but he was already returning her to her stepmother. Akemi dug her sharp fingers into Hanako's arm, pulling her away from her dashing dance partner. He offered up a rakish half-grin as he bowed and thanked her for an enjoyable dance. Hanako didn't pay attention to the rest of the ball after he disappeared.

Takeshi slipped from the ballroom as best he could. Women had always swooned in his path and tonight was no different. Claiming a need to talk to one of the other lords, he escaped the clutches of eligible ladies and their mothers. Slipping into a darkened room, he made good his escape, his formal dress attire slipping away with barely a thought. Dressed now in his dark traveling clothes, cape, and mask, he touched his sword lightly and exited onto the balcony. A mere shadow against the velvet night, he jumped to the ground and carefully made his way through bushes to the far wing of the palace, where he knew the king's chambers to be.

One of the maids in the palace was a young woman from his lands who he had helped get placed there. In return for his help, she relayed information about the Queen and the advisors to him. She sent him missives whenever she could, but she was terrified of the Queen. Her last received missive had indicated that the King was in danger. When he had seen her in the hallway this evening, she had stolen a moment to whisper in his ear. Her frantic message had convinced him that he was running out of time. The witch's power was growing. He had clearly witnessed her attempts to rid herself of Hanako twice now. The man Akemi had handed Hanako off to before him had reputedly killed his previous two wives.

Takeshi slipped into an open window and hid behind the billowing curtains. Footsteps approached, passed and receded without hesitating. Peeking out, he witnessed one of the king's advisers walking towards a set of double doors. He knocked and entered. Takeshi followed. He could still faintly hear the strains of music from the ballroom. As he knelt by the oaken doors, his mind wandered back to the princess. He wondered who she was dancing with now. He tried to tell himself it didn't matter, that he had pulled that stunt to establish his presence at the ball. It didn't ring completely true within him.

He was caught off guard when the adviser exited the room and he barely avoided being seen. Cursing himself for being careless, Takeshi pulled his cloak tightly about himself and slipped through the doors before they slammed shut. There was an odd glow in the room. Silently, he approached the massive bed in the center of the room. The drapes about the bed were pulled tightly shut, but the glow emanated from within them. "Your Highness?" he called out tentatively, his voice echoing strangely in the room.

He waited out the silence. After long moments, a strange groaning sound could be heard within the curtains. With one hand on his sword's hilt, Takeshi pulled on the drape cord.

The greenish glow spilled out, causing Takeshi to fall back, covering his face with his cape. As his eyes slowly adjusted, he dropped the cape and approached the bed. His eyes grew round with horror as he stared at King Nobuo. Where once living flesh had rested, now lay cold stone. The king was a statue. A look of absolute terror was imprinted upon his marble face. Takeshi was too late.


Mamoru was just about to give up when Usagi suddenly slammed the laptop closed. He stood up as well, and began moving towards the crosswalk to better follow them. Rei, Ami and Usagi were hastily pulling their things together. He barely made it across the street before the girls took off running. He chased after them, ignoring the shouts of angry pedestrians.

He followed them into the park. Usagi tripped and fell, angling herself to protect the laptop. Rei and Ami had vanished. Mamoru almost ran up to help her, but dodged behind a tree instead. He watched her look around huntedly, then pull her broach off her school uniform. He watched with interest as she screamed out, "Moon Prism Power . . . Makeup!" A burst of pink light blinded him and then pain stabbed him in the head. When he could see again, Sailor Moon was running away and he was transformed into Tuxedo Kamen. Instinctively he ran after her, towards the battle.

Tuxedo Kamen waited almost breathlessly in his tree to rescue Sailor Moon, but for some reason, she was in rare form. She fought well and Sailor Mars didn't even have to scold her. He was somewhat disappointed, but he realized a bit belatedly that revealing he knew her identity in the middle of a battle wouldn't be a very good idea. He grinned wolfishly down at the three senshi as they enjoyed their victory. He had a better idea, anyway.

Maintaining his transformation, he followed the three out of the park. When they dropped their transformations at the edge of the park, he was reassured that Usagi really was Sailor Moon. He hadn't been seeing things, after all. Somehow, he had managed to convince himself that perhaps he had fallen asleep waiting outside Usagi's house that night and dreamed that she was Sailor Moon. But this third confirmation was exactly what Mamoru's cautious, scientific mind needed in order to completely and unquestioningly accept that Tsukino Usagi really was Sailor Moon. He resolved to follow her as far as he could as Tuxedo Kamen before he dropped the transformation and approached her alone. It would let him observe her from unexpected locations.

Rei took her laptop from Usagi and headed home. Usagi walked Ami home, neither realizing Tuxedo Kamen was following them. She said good night to Ami, promised to call when she got home, and waved until Ami entered her building.

As soon as she turned around, Mamoru popped up in front of her. Usagi fell backwards onto her bottom in shock. He stifled a grin and courteously extended a hand to her. "May I walk you home again, Usagi-chan?" Usagi merely stared at him, dumbfounded. He smiled gently at her and knelt beside her. Picking up her bag, he also claimed one of her hands and pulled her unresisting form up to stand beside him. "Are you okay?"

Usagi nodded, but still stared at him in confused silence. Where had the jerk come from? Tucking her hand into the curve of his arm, he turned in the direction of her house. Usagi started to pull her hand away, but he covered it with his own. "I liked your story," he murmured, causing her eyes to fly up and search his own, "Sailor Moon."